La Liga heading stateside?! League president Javier Tebas delivers huge update on plans to hold official games in the US

La Liga president Javier Tebas confirmed that the Spanish top flight is hoping to play games overseas, and is targeting a 2025-26 start date for the first fixture held abroad. The US is the first expected destination, with La Liga eager to capitalise on growing interest in football prior to the 2026 World Cup.

Spanish teams have shown interest in such a move overseas in the past, with Barcelona even proposing a Catalonian derby with Girona to be held in Miami in 2018 - but FIFA and US Soccer blocked the game. Organizers Relevant Sports sued both parties, and the resulting litigation has increased the likelihood of foreign leagues holding games overseas.

In an interview with Spanish newspaper Expansion, Tebas admitted that a US fixture is in the works: "I don't know when, but this time LaLiga will play official matches abroad, I think it could be in the 2025-26 season. The official match in the US will strengthen our position in the North American market, which is the second for La Liga after Spain. Other very competitive leagues are coming so we can't always do the same thing, they would overtake us."

Details on the league's plans are yet to be revealed, but it seems certain that games abroad are in the works. A 2025-26 target would seem to line up ideally with the World Cup, which will take place in the US, Canada and Mexico.